[jsdl-wg] my view on execution user and group

[Darren Pulsipher]

I am fine with removing the UserCredential, this can be an extension that
someone can put in if they please.

BUT I still think we need a User Element with UserName (uid) and Group (gid)
in it. These are common in all types of Jobs not just POSIX Application
runs. Additionally they can and should be used in the data staging area.

Darren

-----Original Message-----
From: Ali Anjomshoaa [mailto:ali at epcc.ed.ac.uk] 
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 2:59 AM
To: Christopher Smith
Cc: Darren Pulsipher; 'Donal K. Fellows'; jsdl-wg at gridforum.org
Subject: Re: [jsdl-wg] my view on execution user and group


Hi Chris,

> I think that retaining the user name and group is useful, as I have
customer
> use cases where the template of a job is permanently attached to a
> particular user identity for execution, so I think I'd like to see these
> stay.

Will a POSIX user ID in the Application section satisfy your use-case? If
not, can you please suggest a more concrete definition for a user element
that would satisfy your use-case?

There is currently no definition for the UserCredential element in the
Spec, but, there is one for UserGroup - anyone able to explain this? The
UserGroup element's definition says that it contains the credentials
necessary to run the job in a Grid!


> 
> The management and establishment of credentials, on the other hand, is
> generally very dependent on the protocol being used and the specific
context
> of the job submission itself, that it doesn't make sense to put this in a
> job description. Having just finished a project Kerberizing one of our

I agree with Chris here. It doesn't make sense to have credentials in the
JSDL. We decided in Berlin that security and credentials were out of
JSDL's scope. We shouldn't let them creep back in!


Cheers,

Ali


> products, I'm feeling this first hand.
> 
> -- Chris
> 
> 
> On 30/3/05 05:38, "Darren Pulsipher" <darren at pulsipher.org> wrote:
> 
> > Ok my turn to say something about the User section.
> > 
> > The User Section is attached to the Job definition and the Data Staging
> > areas for stage in and stage out.
> > 
> > I believe that we need to have Name, Group and some passthru for
credentials
> > (or an extension for such) not only for POSIX applications but for all
> > different types of jobs. Web services typically have these concepts, sql
> > would have it, AFS with security uses it etc...
> > 
> > If it is not put into the JobDefinition or the DataStaging areas then
people
> > will add it in through extensions all over the place. As most jobs
require
> > some kind of identification of the user that will be running jobs and
moving
> > data. 
> > 
> > Putting this in the POSIX Application area is too limiting and does not
> > allow for referencing the User in other sections easily. For example in
a
> > complex workflow where the user identity will change depending on the
job
> > that is run it would be beneficial to reference the Users that are
defined
> > potentially outside of the JobDefinition several times.
> > 
> > Any questions?
> > 
> > Darren
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-jsdl-wg at ggf.org [mailto:owner-jsdl-wg at ggf.org] On Behalf Of
> > Donal K. Fellows
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 5:14 AM
> > To: Ali Anjomshoaa
> > Cc: jsdl-wg at gridforum.org
> > Subject: Re: [jsdl-wg] my view on execution user and group
> > 
> > Ali Anjomshoaa wrote:
> >> ...again, any other thoughts on this?
> > 
> > I think Karl's got the interpretation of the ExecutionUser and
> > ExecutionGroup elements right. I'd just add that I would expect most
> > JSDL instances to not specify these elements, with the identity to
> > execute the job as being either implicit within the submission security
> > context or present explicitly through SAML/XACML elements. Our
> > experience with UNICORE is that this functionality is only rarely useful
> > (but invaluable in those situations, of course, so the elements are
> > worth retaining).
> > 
> > Donal.
> > 
> 
> 

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